Council proposes to create a new public plaza in Sunshine, next door to the new Vietnamese Museum Australia being built at 119 Durham Road, Sunshine by mid-2026.
The plaza will be a welcoming public space for everyone to enjoy, honouring the Traditional Owners and celebrating all refugee and multicultural communities in Brimbank.
The pedestrian-only, well-lit space will have plenty of seating, garden beds and public art by a local Indigenous artist. The large gum trees already on site will be retained, and more trees will be planted.
The plaza will serve as a forecourt to the new museum and a connection between R T Pollard Gardens and Durham Road, Sunshine. The plaza is intended to be a destination in its own right and will be open to the public at all times.
The plaza concept design was shaped by engagement with Traditional Owners Wurundjeri Council, a range of multicultural groups and the Brimbank Youth Council. It can be viewed on Council’s website. Work on the detailed design will follow next.
At the 18 March 2025 Council Meeting, Council also endorsed ‘Wominjeka Plaza’ as the proposed name for the new plaza. Wominjeka meaning ‘welcome’ in the Woiwurrung language of the Wurundjeri people, was the name recommended by Wurundjeri Elders during consultation on the plaza design. Council will shortly undertake community consultation on the proposed name.
Construction of the plaza is planned to take place in 2026. Council is currently advocating to both the Federal and State Governments, for funding for this unique cultural plaza project.
Quotes to be attributed to Brimbank Mayor Cr Thuy Dang:
“I am very excited to see plans progressing for a wonderful new public plaza at Durham Road Sunshine, to be built next to the new Vietnamese Museum Australia.
“The plaza has been designed to be a safe public space, which recognises the Traditional Owners of the land and all refugee and migrant communities and helps provide a boost for the local businesses around the site.
“I am sure the new plaza will become a popular spot for the local community and help activate the area. We’re also looking forward to the new Vietnamese museum attracting many visitors to Sunshine. This will help boost local tourism as well as our business, cultural and economic growth.”
Background information:
After consulting with the community, Brimbank Council sold part of the Durham Road Car
Park to the Vietnamese Museum Australia (VMA) in March 2024.
The site will host a new cultural museum that is expected to become a significant national
landmark.
The museum will build on the shared vision between Council and the State Government to
transform Sunshine into the Central Business District of Melbourne’s West.
Alongside the museum, Council plans to create a plaza that will be a welcoming public
space for everyone to enjoy, that honours the Traditional Owners and celebrates all
refugee and multicultural communities in Brimbank.
Council will reconfigure the car parking at this site, to offer approximately 24 parking
spaces